Meth remains a pervasive problem for law enforcement and recovering users

Despite the efforts of law enforcement agencies, support groups and educational organizations, the production and use of methamphetamine remains a pervasive problem in Pettis County.

In 2008, authorities seized 27 meth labs and dumpsites in Pettis County. Meth lab seizures are on pace to increase in 2009, with 16 busted in the county through July.

Don Isaac, lead officer in the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force, said enforcement data suggests the meth problem is still on the rise in their seven-county jurisdiction. Six investigators work full-time with the Drug Task Force, and Isaac said about 80 percent of their time is dedicated to the eradication of meth.

“Our arrests are up from last year about 25 percent, and our meth lab incidents ... are up 60 percent,” Isaac said.

Missouri also continues its reign as the meth capital of the country, with 1,487 lab seizures in 2008, and 842 through the first half of 2009. Indiana, the state with the second most meth seizures in the U.S., had less than half the number of lab busts as Missouri, with 724 seizures in 2008.

But Isaac warned that examining the number of annual seizures may be a misleading way to judge meth production across the country. In central Missouri, most meth manufacturing operations do not produce large quantities of the drug.

“We have these ‘Mom and Pop’ operations, which are not mass-quantity producing. It’s not a large business operation, it’s a small operation to be able to provide product for themselves, the people supplying the ingredients and maybe enough to sell to be able to obtain more,” Pettis County Sheriff Kevin Bond said.

These smaller operations are problematic for law enforcement officers because the labs are more widespread and scattered across rural areas, present a higher opportunity for explosions and fires and lead to more dumpsites that create environmental hazards, Bond said.

“Because it’s not being done in a controlled environment, you also have a higher likelihood for the officers to come into situations where they are breathing noxious fumes, come into contact with substances that would burn the skin and certainly the danger of explosion,” Bond said.

The smaller manufacturing operations also mean that when officers bust one lab, another producer can easily step up and fill that void.

The Human Toll
Doug Hampton said he never made much of a profit when he ran a small methamphetamine producing operation near Sedalia. Any money he made went back toward the drug.

“I put so much time into it and came out with nothing but a buzz,” he said.

Hampton gave up more than just time. He lost two teeth, four vehicles, a boat, his house, his job and nearly two years of his life in prison to his addiction to meth. Hampton said he did not know much about the drug when he started using it around age 20, but after 10 years hooked on meth and about three years off of it, he’s got perspective on the substance that many users are never able to obtain.

“It’s a love-hate relationship, but a lot of people only remember the good times,” he said.

When he was incarcerated in 2006 for manufacturing the drug, he said it was 120 days into his sentence before he realized where he was. Looking back, Hampton said going to prison was something he needed to get clean.

However, he said it still took more than just incarceration, because being locked up did not mean he lost access to meth.

“Anytime I wanted it in prison I could get it,” he said. “You either die, go to prison or get tired enough of it. After I spent 10 years in hell, I was tired of hanging around liars, thieves and scumbags, even though I was one. That was not how I was brought up.”

One of the most painful aspects of Hampton’s addiction was the effect it had on his family. He said his mother felt guilty, as though she had failed in raising him, but Hampton said she was a great mother who just tried to do what was right. Now his family is part of what keeps him on the path to recovery.

“I don’t want to let my family down, I don’t want to lose my job and I don’t want to see my mother crying again,” Hampton said.

“I probably enabled him for three years,” said Liz Rehmer, Hampton’s mother. “I was addicted to his addiction.”

In 2006, Rehmer started the Sedalia chapter of Mothers Against Methamphetamine, the first chapter of the nationwide organization founded in Missouri. She said when her son was using she turned to her faith, and she only later found she was praying for all the wrong things.

“The first time you use it, it alters your personality. You’re really not capable of anything but wanting to get more drugs,” she said. “I learned a meth addict can’t work, so I had to quit enabling him. It was really hard to close that door.”

The group hosts bi-weekly support meetings for people whose family members use meth and for recovering users in the drug court program.

Sandra Turley thought when her son got out of prison, his meth problem would be behind him. But Turley still has to care for her grandchildren because of her son’s unpredictable behavior.

“One day he’s fine and he acts normal, and the next time he’s just mad instantly,” Turley said.

Her son started using at age 14, and he continues to battle his addiction more than 25 years later. Turley said she is thankful for the opportunity to discuss what she goes through with other people in the community facing the same struggles. Much like the addicts who are often unable to kick their addiction by themselves, Turley said families of addicts also need the support of their peers.

Lori Salazar, the executive assistant of the local group and a former addict, said users have to focus on fixing themselves before they can work on restoring personal relationships.

Salazar became part of the organization to help people understand there is life after addiction.

She said a new environment and a long-term desire for change are vital in recovering from the drug. For Salazar, her desire to change came from her faith and her children.

“You have to grab something that’s at the end of that tunnel, that light,” Salazar said.
Community costs

Meth is not just a problem for users and families, Bond and Isaac said. Many burglaries, thefts and violent crimes have a connection to meth use, and many former users require social service programs to survive.

“It’s not just a criminal issue. Our job is to do enforcement ... but it is so far-reaching. It’s a socio-economic issue,” Bond said. “Unemployment, welfare, disability, health issues, mental health issues and child issues ... it is not a victimless crime. The victims are wide-ranging.”

Isaac said he has seen the drug turn good people into addicts, often pushing them into a life of crime to support their habit. He said he has found in the worst crime investigations, the vast majority have a close connection to drug addiction.

Despite seeing more labs seized, more educational efforts targeting young people and tougher laws passed to restrict the sale of meth ingredients, Isaac said the demand for the drug remains high in mid-Missouri. While manufacturing and distribution arrests have fluctuated, possession levels continue to hold steady.

“I’ve never seen that drastic change in the possession level as far as methamphetamine ... I’ve never seen a decrease yet in the number of arrests on that,” Isaac said. “We’re winning battles, but we’re losing the war."